Key Stage1 and 2

Primary Curriculum - history   Whilst there is no explicit reference to the Great War, teachers are able to study the war through various ways. A local study or indeed a focus on influential people such as Edith Cavell or John McCrae.

Teaching Points for the Great War 1914/1918

Foundation Stage/Key Stage One

Please do not be frightened about introducing the Great War to younger children. Go through a very practical approach or take a famous story such as the Christmas Truce or The Angel of Mons. There are plenty of picture resources and artefacts out there which you can use to bring a curriculum day to life.

Ideas

1. Plan a whole day with 6 practical topics, e.g. Poppies, weapons, a trench, etc.
2. Contact your local WFA branch – They will be only too pleased to help with resources.
3. Ask the local British Legion to come along and do an assembly for you.
4. Have a day making and talking about the wearing of poppies.
5. Visit a local memorial and adopt it as a community project. (Some branches of the WFA restore these as projects and you could get involved as part of the Community Cohesion for your SEF !)
6. Have a day dressing up as soldiers, nurses, etc. and set up drama and hot seating areas.  Teachers should dress up too!
7. Make a makeshift trench and get the children to feel how difficult it would be to live and work in such a small space.
8. Have a marching and drill session (We hired the Khaki Chums for the day – expensive but brilliant) and our children realised just how hard it was to march up and down for the day.
9. Set up some team work situations such as using your outdoor play area to carry over barrels or pretend equipment over no mans land when bean bags and balls are flying at you (to take the place of bombs).
10. Make some trench food – plenty of ideas for stew and hard biscuits on the internet - and have a tasting session.
11. Have a good old fashioned sing song – learn some of the songs from the era, make some union jacks and sing your heart out. Invite the community in to join in.
12. Let the local papers know you are having a Great War day and get them to ask the local community to come and help you.
13. Set up a classroom as a Great War dressing station with dolls and teddies as injured soldiers, make some weak tea for shock and let the children be the doctors and nurses tending the injured with bandages etc.

If you would like further support, please get in touch.

Thank you to J McDonald, Headteacher for this information.